A template for a basic applied research paper is found at the bottom of this page.

Papers should be submitted in the following format:

Language and Language Services

Please write your text in good English (American or British usage is accepted, but not a mixture of these). Authors whose native language is not English are advised to have their manuscripts checked by an English-speaking colleague or to use a translation service prior to submission. For information about language editing and copyediting services we may be able to provide, please email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Word Counts

Applied research articles

Applied research articles are generally limited to approximately 8,500 words, including abstract, end notes, tables, references and appendices. For a sample manuscript click here.

Research or Policy Briefs (up to 2,500 words) provide updates of large/long-term studies or analysis of innovative agriculture and food policies.

Book reviews

Book reviews should be approximately 1,000 words.

Article Preparation

Articles should be submitted as Microsoft Office Word files (Word 2003 and Word 2007 are acceptable, as well as RTF). Do not submit an article as an Adobe Acrobat file (PDF). A Word template, including all Journal paragraph styles and our preferred manuscript ordering, is available here, although you are not required to use it.

Use the following formatting guidelines:

• 8.5" x 11" page size
• 1" margins on all sides
• 12 point Times Roman
• Double-spaced

The text should be in single-column format and in as simple a layout as possible. Most formatting will be removed and replaced as we process the article. Do not use your word processor’s options to justify text or to hyphenate words. You may, however, use bold face, italics, subscripts, superscripts etc. We recommend using the spell checker prior to submission as well.

Do not place any figures into the text file; instead, indicate their approximate locations directly in the electronic text. See the sections below on Tables and Figures for acceptable format and submission requirements.

Article Structure

All major words of headings and subheadings should be capitalized, excluding articles and short prepositions. Bullets can be used to highlight lists.

Abstract

A concise and factual abstract of up to 150 words is required. The abstract should give a clear idea of the line of reasoning in the paper and the main conclusions made. Mention the geographic location of the work if it is integral to the subject. The abstract should not include equations, diagrams, footnotes, or parenthetical references, but may include numbers. An abstract is often presented separately from the article, so it must be able to stand alone. For this reason, references should be avoided, but if essential, then cite the author(s) and year(s).Nonstandard or uncommon abbreviations should be avoided, but if essential they must be defined at their first mention in the abstract itself.

Key Words

Immediately after the abstract, provide a maximum of 10 key words in alphabetical order. Consider standard words or terms that describe your methodology, empirical investigation, and conclusions. Use  American English spelling and avoiding general and plural terms and multiple concepts (avoid, for example, “and,” “of”). Be sparing with abbreviations: only abbreviations firmly established in the field should be used. If a common abbreviation or synonym is used, please include this in addition to the standard word(s). These key words are critical for indexing purposes.

Introduction and Literature Review

State the objectives of the work and provide an adequate background, including a brief review of the relevant iterature. Address previous work of others related to the topic, particularly their approach and results. This section should explain why the topic of the research is important, providing adequate background in order to set the stage for the remainder of the paper.

Applied Research Methods

This section describes the methods used to conduct the applied research such as a survey, case study, interviews, focus groups, etc. Sufficient detail should be provided about specific techniques as well as the rationale for the use of particular methods. Highly technical methods with advanced statistical analysis should be avoided. As this is a journal for practitioners and applied researchers, authors should rely more on simple descriptive statistics, or perhaps discriminant or factor analysis, and ANOVA.

Results

Results should be clear and concise. How do the response rate and representativeness of the sample coincide with expectations? What are the key findings of the research? Include tables, charts, and graphs that aid in displaying and explaining the results.

Discussion

This section should explore the significance of the results of the work. A combined Results and Discussion section is often appropriate. Compare and contrast results with other research. What are the seminal findings? Avoid extensive citations and discussion of published literature. Provide recommendations, prescriptions, and thoughtful insights and observations.

Conclusions

What can be concluded from this applied research? What is the significance of the findings to practioners and appied researchers? What remains to be explored, and what would the author(s) recommend for further research?

Acknowledgements

List here those individuals who provided help during the research and writing of the article. Collate acknowledgements in a separate section at the end of the article before the references. Do not include them on the title page, as a footnote to the title, or otherwise.

Appendices

If there is more than one appendix, they should be identified as A, B, etc.

References

References should follow American Psychological Association (APA) style, including the parenthetical references (author, date) as well as the reference list. The reference list should be in alphabetical order by author name. If there are two articles by the same author, then the author's name is again written in full. This follows the APA style. If there are two or more articles by the same author, then they should be ordered according to year, with the most recent appearing first. If there are two or more articles with the same author and same year, then they should be ordered alphabetically by title, with the first article being 1998a, the second 1998b, and so on.

• Examples:
  Hilchey, D.H. (1997). Consumer acceptance of Local Food Marketing in Spain. European Food Digest, 15, 232-234.
  
  Hilchey, D.H. (1996a). How Geographic Indicators are Challenging the Food Industry Landscape. Journal of Food Distribution Research, 27(1), 1-10.
  
  Hilchey, D.H. (1996b). Foodsheds and Watersheds: The Melding of Concepts, the Blurring of Lines. Food Futures, 50(7), 85-88.

Title Page Required Information

Title

Be concise and informative with your title. Titles are often used in information-retrieval systems. Avoid abbreviations where possible.

Author names and affiliations

Where the family name may be ambiguous (e.g., a double name), please indicate clearly how it should be listed. Present the authors’ affiliation addresses (where the actual work was done) below the names. Indicate all affiliations with a lower-case superscript letter immediately after the author’s name and in front of the appropriate address. Provide the full postal address of each affiliation, including the country name, and, if available, the email address of each author.

Corresponding author

Clearly indicate who will handle correspondence at all stages of refereeing and publication, and also postpublication. Ensure that telephone and fax numbers (with country and area code) are provided, in addition to the email address and the complete postal address.

Present and permanent addresses

If an author has moved since the work described in the article was done, or was visiting at the time, a “Present address” (or “Permanent address”) may be indicated as a footnote to that author’s name. The address at which the author actually did the work must be retained as the main, affiliation address. Use superscript Arabic numerals for such footnotes.

References

Footnotes

Footnotes should be used sparingly. Number them consecutively throughout the article, using superscript Arabic numbers. If your word processors builds footnotes into the text, you may use this feature. If it does not, indicate the position of footnotes in the text using Arabic numerals in brackets ( [1], [2], etc.) and include the footnote text separately at the end of the article. Do not include footnotes in the reference list.

Table and figure footnotes

Indicate each footnote in a table or figure with a superscript lowercase letter.

Tables

When preparing tables, use Word’s table feature if possible. If not, use tabs — not spaces — to align columns.

Number tables consecutively in accordance with their appearance in the text. Place footnotes to tables below the table body and indicate them with superscript lowercase letters. Be sparing in the use of tables and ensure that the data presented in tables do not duplicate results described elsewhere in the article.

Figures (graphs, maps, drawings, and photographs)

Electronic artwork: General points

• Only use the following fonts in your illustrations: Arial/Helvetica, Courier New, Times New Roman, and Symbol.
• Number the illustrations according to their sequence in the text.
• Provide captions to illustrations separately. They can be gathered in a single Microsoft Word file.
• Produce images near to the desired size of the printed version.
• Submit each figure as a separate file, naming the file with the figure number and brief descriptive name.

File Formats

Regardless of the application used, when your electronic artwork is finalized, please "save as" or convert the images to one of the following formats (note the resolution requirements for line drawings, halftones, and line/halftone combinations given below):

• Graphics created in Microsoft Word (doc/docx), Excel (.xls/.xlsx) or PowerPoint (.ppt/.pptx): If your electronic artwork is created in any of these Microsoft Office programs, please provide the original files.
• EPS: Vector drawings. Embed the font or save the text as “graphics.”
• TIFF: color or grayscale photographs (halftones): always use a minimum of 300 dpi.
• TIFF: Bitmapped line drawings: use a minimum of 1000 dpi.
• TIFF: Combinations bitmapped line/half-tone (color or grayscale): a minimum of 500 dpi is required.

Please do not:

• Supply embedded graphics in your word processor (spreadsheet, presentation) document;
• Supply files that are optimized for screen use (like GIF, BMP, PICT, WPG) as the resolution is too low.
• Supply any graphics copied from a website, as the resolution will be too low; or
• Submit graphics that are disproportionately large for the content.

Color artwork

Please make sure that artwork files are in an acceptable format (TIFF, EPS or Microsoft Office files) and with the correct resolution [bookmark to resolution info above]. If, together with your accepted article, you submit usable color figures then Elsevier will ensure, at no additional charge, that these figures will appear in color on the Web (e.g., ScienceDirect and other sites) regardless of whether or not these illustrations are reproduced in color in the printed version. For color reproduction in print, you will receive information regarding the costs from Elsevier after receipt of your accepted article. Please indicate your preference for color in print or on the Web only. For further information on the preparation of electronic artwork, please see http://www.elsevier.com/artworkinstructions.

Please note: Because of technical complications that can arise by converting color images to gray scale (for the printed version, should you not opt for color in print), please submit black and white versions of all color images.

Figure captions

Ensure that each illustration has a caption as it will read in the Journal. Supply captions separately, and do not embed them in the figure. A caption should include a brief title and a description of the illustration. Keep text in the illustrations themselves to a minimum but explain all symbols and abbreviations used.

Submission Checklist [provide as PDF checklist]

Ensure that the following items have been uploaded:

• Manuscript file (in Microsoft Word or RTF format)
• All tables and figures in original file format (Excel, PowerPoint, etc.)
• All figure titles, captions and references, numbered to match the manuscript

One author designated as corresponding author, with:

• E-mail address
• Full postal address
• Telephone and fax numbers

Final Considerations

• Manuscript spelling has been checked
• References are in the correct format for this journal
• All references mentioned in the Reference list are cited in the text, and vice versa
• Permission has been obtained for use of copyrighted material from other sources (including the Web)

For further details, please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Files:

JAFSD_Manuscript_Template_with_Title_Page_10-09.doc

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